Hg. Alcorn et al., RISK-FACTORS FOR ABDOMINAL AORTIC-ANEURYSMS IN OLDER ADULTS ENROLLED IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH STUDY, Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology, 16(8), 1996, pp. 963-970
B-mode ultrasound examinations of the abdominal aorta were performed f
rom 1990 to 1992 to evaluate the prevalence of abdominal aortic aneury
sm (AAA) in a subgroup of the Pittsburgh cohort (656 participants, age
d 65 to 90 years) of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). In this pi
lot study, we evaluated various definitions of aneurysm and the reprod
ucibility of the measurements. In year 5 (1992 to 1993) of the CHS, th
e entire cohort (4741 participants) was examined. AAA was defined as a
n infrarenal aortic diameter of greater than or equal to 3.0 cm, or a
ratio of infrarenal to suprarenal diameter of greater than or equal to
1.2, or a history of AAA repair. For the entire CHS cohort, prevalenc
e of aneurysms was 9.5% (451/4741) overall, with a prevalence among me
n of 14.2% (278/ 1956) and prevalence among women of 6.2% (173/2785).
Variables significantly related to AAA were older age; male sex; histo
ry of angina, coronary heart disease, and myocardial infarction; lower
ankle-arm blood pressure ratio; higher maximum carotid stenosis; grea
ter intima-media thickness of the internal carotid artery; higher crea
tinine; lower HDL levels and higher LDL levels; and cigarette smoking.
The study has documented the strong association of cardiovascular ris
k factors and measures of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis and
cardiovascular disease and prevalence of aneurysms. We used a definit
ion that is more sensitive than previously reported (diameter or ratio
), which allowed the detection of smaller aneurysms and possibly those
at an earlier stage of development. Follow-up of this cohort may lead
to new criteria for determining the risk factors for progression of a
neurysms.